Apple Shares Clues on the Direction of its Retail Store Strategy

Apple Shares Clues on the Direction of its Retail Store Strategy

The first Apple retail store opened in Tysonâ¿¿s Center in Virginia on May 19, 2001. Hosting the event was none other than Steve Jobs. Some three hours later, the second Apple store opened at 10:00 am in Southern California. Since then, the interior of Appleâ¿¿s stores have largely remained unchanged, boasting a clean design and zones where customers can intimately engage with products. But, with new eye-catching Sony, Samsung, Google and Microsoft shops opening inside of Best Buy and in malls, Apple and its new head of retail Angela Ahrendts will have to gently refresh the inside of the stores to stay 25 steps ahead of the competition. There appears to be a major change going on inside of the Apple stores. TheStreet's Retail Contributor Brian Sozzi shares what that change is, and what it means.